1. The Office of the President Appointments

2. A Brief History President didn’t have any real staff until 1857 Staff has grown enormously since then – Pres now has large bureaucracy of assistants he has difficulty controlling – Rule of propinquity: power is wielded by people who are in the room when a decision is made – Presidential appointments can be classified by their physical and political proximity to the pres.

3. The White House Office President’s closest assistants Staff typically has worked on campaign; a few are experts Always a great deal of jockeying for physical proximity (office close to Oval office) and access to the president

4. The White House Office 3 types of structures, often used in combination to compensate for their weaknesses/capitalize on strengths – Pyramid structure: most assistants report through hierarchy to chief of staff, who then reports to pres Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, Bush, late Clinton – Circular structure: cabinet secretaries and assistants report directly to pres early Carter – Ad Hoc structure: task forces, committees, and informal groups deal directly with the pres Early Clinton

5. Executive Office of the President Composed of agencies that report directly to the pres Appointments must receive Senate confirmation, unlike White House staff Office of Management and Budget, perhaps most important – Assembles the budget – Develops reorganization plans – Reviews legislative proposals of agencies – Has recently become more of a policy advocate

6. The Cabinet Chief executives (secretaries) of the executive branch departments Not explicitly mentioned by name in the Constitution, but implied in Art. 2 Sec 2 Presidents have many more appointments to make than Prime Ministers due to competition created by separation of powers Presidential control over departments remains uncertain – secretaries become advocates for their departments

7. The Cabinet

8. Independent Agencies, Commissions, and Judgeships Pres appoints members of agencies that have quasi- independent status “Acting” appointments have increased legislative- executive tensions In general, independent agency heads can only be removed “for cause” and serve fixed terms Exec agency heads serve at the president’s pleasure, though they must be confirmed by the Senate

9. Who Gets Appointed? President knows few appointees personally Most appointees to cabinet and sub-cabinet have had federal experience – “In-and-outers” alternate federal govt and private sector jobs (remember: revolving door) – Modern tendency to place experts, rather than those with a political following into the Cabinet Need to consider groups, regions, and organizations Rivalry often develops between department heads (who represent expert knowledge) and White House staff (who are extensions of president’s priorities)